Israeli embassy staff killed in shooting near Washington Jewish Museum
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that two Israeli staff members were killed in the shooting.
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The scene at the shooting of 2 Israeli embassy employees on May 21, 2025. (Social media)
Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening near a Jewish museum, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Noem confirmed the deaths in a post on X following the shooting, which occurred outside the Capital Jewish Museum, just steps from the FBI’s Washington field office.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was present at the scene alongside former judge Jeanine Pirro, who now serves as the US attorney for Washington, DC.
Despite police not releasing any information regarding a possible motive, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, called the shooting a "depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism."
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters that just after 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, a shooting occurred outside a downtown D.C. Jewish museum shortly after an event hosted by the pro-"Israel" advocacy group American Jewish Committee had concluded.
Shooter identified
A man was seen "pacing back and forth" near the building before he approached a group of four individuals and opened fire, Smith said. Two victims, a man and a woman who were reportedly a couple, were killed in the attack.
Following the shooting, the suspect entered the museum, where he was apprehended by event security. While in custody, he reportedly chanted “Free, Free Palestine,” according to Smith.
Police have tentatively identified the suspect as Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago, Illinois. Smith noted that he had no known prior interactions with law enforcement.
Rodriguez reportedly shouted "Free Palestine" as he was being arrested.
